


The Earth's Son

by fricklefracklestargirl



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Earth Spirit AU, M/M, others will be added accordingly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-10 04:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2011086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fricklefracklestargirl/pseuds/fricklefracklestargirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco knew he wasn’t supposed to talk to the humans. That was a rule given to him by the others, but he had always found them curious. His physical form was meant to look human; a camouflage to keep him and the others safe in case any humans found them. So, to keep up with such a form, the others had given him these things they called “clothes” that covered his body. They had tried to give him “shoes” as well, but he felt much too uncomfortable in them. He liked feeling the dirt and grass beneath his feet. The shoes came in handy, though, because when his curiosity got to him, he went looking for answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Curiosity Kills the Cat

**Author's Note:**

> An AU I thought of a while ago. Children of the Earth are different spirits that the Earth made to keep the earth alive and well. Each character that I make a spirit are going to have different powers. (For instance, Marco's is specifically an earth spirit, so he has earth and plant powers.) Anyway, I'll stop babbling before I give away all of it! Sorry for any errors you may find!

Marco knew he wasn’t supposed to talk to the humans. That was a rule given to him by the others, but he had always found them curious. His physical form was meant to look human; a camouflage to keep him and the others safe in case any humans found them. So, to keep up with such a form, the others had given him these things they called “clothes” that covered his body. They had tried to give him “shoes” as well, but he felt much too uncomfortable in them. He liked feeling the dirt and grass beneath his feet. The shoes came in handy, though, because when his curiosity got to him, he went looking for answers.

Every time he found himself in a wood near a town, he would go to look around, to a place they call a “library”. He found books fascinating, that was until Levi had informed him books were dead trees. He almost felt like he betrayed his own, but he still had a mighty need to learn about the world and humans, so every time he got a new book, he would kiss the cover gently and whisper an apology; at least what was left of it was being used for something as wonderful as knowledge and imagination. He supposed that made up for the humans taking away his trees.

The others didn’t like his curiosity. They stayed well hidden in their respective places, only moving when they had to. Marco, though, would go out in public, around so many humans. The others scolded him frequently when they would cross paths. Marco would say he never talks to anyone and no one ever talks to him. Levi, though, had been very strict with him.

The night wood was filled with noises of crickets and a trickling creek nearby. Lightning bugs scattered throughout the wood, their lights blinking in greeting. The moonlight shined through the leafs on the trees, lighting up the ground beneath his feet. It was nights like this he enjoyed.

In the darker part of the wood is where he always found Levi. The shadow of one the trees moved oddly, forming in the shape of the man before lifting from the ground and coming into the moonlight. The shadowy figure slowly faded into the young man he knew and he glanced at the ground nervously, awaiting another scolding. He heard Levi’s deep voice cut through the sounds of the wood, “You’ve been out gallivanting again, haven’t you?”

“I was just--”

“Playing with dead trees?”

“They are called books,” Marco answers steadily, his voice squeaking ever so slightly, “and I know they are dead trees, but they have such a wonderful use. Plus, it seems like some of the humans care about the earth, I learned about this thing called recycling and--”  
“It doesn’t matter. Your skin still takes on the form of a human child, which can be suspicious. You’re all alone when you go do your ‘exploring.’ Most children, human children, have parents with them.”

“My mother is with me always,” Marco tries to defend hesitantly, but his mouth closes swiftly when Levi sends him a glare.

“ _Human_ parents. I wouldn’t be so persistent with such things if your powers weren’t important.”

“You say that as if everyone else’s powers _aren’t_ important.”

He hears another sigh before Levi steps back into the shadow of the tree. He hears him say, “Our powers _are_ important. We, the children of the Earth, keep the world from reaching an end. If it weren’t for our preservation of the earth, the humans would tear this world apart. Your power, however, is extremely important. It is the power of the earth. You are the only one with such power and the Earth has granted _you_ with that power. She would not have done that if things weren’t becoming desperate. She needs us to stay safe, especially you. You will soon grow into your skin and take on a great responsibility as another child of the Earth. The others know you are the most special, so we must keep an eye out for you until you can keep yourself under control.”

Marco wanted to bargain with Levi, tell him that they could arrange something with the humans, explain to them how they are hurting the earth, and all would be better. He had a feeling, though, Levi would turn him down even if the idea would possibly be a success.

So, Marco strayed from the towns. He hid away in woods, sheltering himself in trees or coves. He visited places in the winter, to make sure the plants and trees would be safe against the cold and the animals were sleeping or moved to a warmer place.

His curiosity never died, but he had to hide it away deep inside him. It worked for a while, until he came across a house in the middle of one of the woods he normally resided in.

It was small house, which he was pretty sure was called a cottage. At first, he had not seen any humans about, so he had thought maybe the house was abandoned. However, he knew every wood well and was sure that the house was new since the last time he had been there. He tried to brush it away, making his way through the wood while repeating Levi’s words, but he always ended up back at the cottage. Finally, a small person popped out from one of the doors.

Marco watched the boy, all thoughts of Levi’s warnings washing away the moment he had seen the boy’s sour expression. The boy sat in the grass, huffing out angrily and crossing his arms. Marco couldn’t distinguish an age, seeing as the human ages were much different from his own, but he would suppose the boy was maybe a young teen? He glanced down at his own appearance; their skins certainly looked the same age.

The disgruntled boy made Marco sad just looking at him. He took in the boy’s appearance; ash-brown hair trimmed short, making the underside look darker, and light brown eyes, he thinks. It was hard to tell at the distance he was at. He had a frown settled on his lips, eyebrows scrunched together in frustration. Marco had a need to make the boy smile, but he had no idea where it came from.

Just then, a women came out, her dark brunette hair pulled back to reveal kind eyes. She went up to the boy, kneeling beside him and spoke softly, “You can’t stay mad at your father forever.”

“Yes I can!” he replied defiantly and Marco almost backed away, feeling as if he was imposing on something personal. However, his curiosity broke open inside him and it rooted him to the spot.

“I know we moved, but that doesn’t mean you won’t see your friends. They are always welcome to come over and you are allowed to visit them.”

“They probably won’t even find me in the stupid woods!” the boy yelled out, getting up to face the woman. Marco could feel a painful pinch inside him at such words, but he still listened on, dark brown eyes glued to the two humans.

“Your father wanted to be closer to nature. Living in the city was just so--”

“Close to my friends! I don’t wanna be close to nature, I wanna be with my friends!”

The boy stormed off, heading in Marco’s direction. Marco panicked, hopping up a tree quickly to hide. His heart rate quickened intensely and his breaths came out short and fearful. When the boy was right under the tree he occupied, Marco’s stomach flipped. Then his eyebrows scrunched together when he heard a quiet sniffle.

Climbing to a different branch to get a better view, Marco found that the boy was indeed crying. _His friends. He must miss his friends._

_I...I could be his friend._

Levi’s frowning face abruptly swam back into his thoughts and he frowned. One human wouldn’t be so bad, would it? This human was obviously sad. The boy could use a friend and Marco would love a friend who wasn’t an animal or any of the other children of the Earth. He barely saw any of them unless they were scolding him.

Marco’s brain flittered with an idea and he smiled, climbing down the tree quietly. He wouldn’t show himself to the boy, but he wanted to at least make him happy.

When Marco’s feet touched the dirt floor, flower buds suddenly sprung from the ground. They burst up, opening up their beauty to find golden Peruvian Lilies. The flowers had begun surging up around the boy and Marco revelled in the boy’s tiny gasp and amber eyes lighting up like the sun. One of the flowers erupted from the ground right in front of the boy, making him take a step back, almost crushing one of the other ones.

The boy leaned down, feeling the pedals of the flowers with a gentle touch of his fingers. A teary smile came up on the boy’s lips and Marco wished he could wipe away the tears. However, the boy did that for him. He heard the boy softly say, “Wow,” as the flowers continued to sprout. The sun beamed down between the leafs, making the scene even more magical and the boy’s smile even brighter. Marco silently thought _I want to be your friend._

Marco twitched when the boy plucked one of the flowers out of the ground, resolutely saying, “I’ll...I’ll give this to mom. Mom and dad will be excited to hear about this, right?”

With that, the boy trotted away, back towards his cottage.

Marco could only think about the boy’s smile.

 


	2. It Started With Sunflowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly dialogue this chapter. I have lot's of stuff I'm working on currently, so I will update as soon as I can.

When he saw the boy again from his spot in a tree, he was walking alongside an older male human, who had a fond smile on his face. The older human asked, “Where exactly are you taking me, Jean?”

“Dad, it was just over here! The flower I gave mom, they just started springing from the ground all around--”

“I’m glad you’re getting excited over this place, Jean, but you shouldn’t make up such silly stories.”

The boy turned to look at the older human, frowning ever so slightly as he indignantly said, “I’m not making it up dad! I saw it! It happened right here, right where I am standing! I swear I’m not lying.”

Marco’s heart ached just a little when the boy’s voice cracked at the end. In all truth, Marco could’ve proved it to the older human, doing such again in front of the man, but he was afraid; he had already broken Levi’s rule by showing the boy what he had. Marco also couldn’t help the unsettling feeling he had while looking over the man.

The man crouched down in front of the boy, sighing as he replied, “Look, I’m happy you have such a wonderful imagination and that you’re starting to enjoy it around here. I’m going to go back to the house. Make sure not to go too deep in the woods, alright?”

The boy simply frowned, but nodded his head after a moment. The man stood, lugging away back to their cottage as the boy plopped himself down on the dirt and grass. Marco waited until the man was out of sight to climb down the tree again, hiding himself behind it. He peeked around the tree, seeing the boy frown at the ground as he muttered, “I did see it. I know I did.”

Marco felt guilt stir in stomach and when his feet hit the ground yet again, a white stargazer lily popped up right in front of the boy. He could see the boy’s eyes light up again and his hand reach out. Marco couldn’t stop himself from shouting, “Stop!”

The boy’s hand stopped as he turned to look in Marco’s direction. Marco gasped as their eyes briefly met, but then he was hiding behind the tree again, his whole body shaking from fear. He heard the boy call out, “Who--What--C-Come out here kid!”

Marco frowned, said back sorely, “You’re a kid.”

“Hey!” the boy replied and Marco peeked around the tree yet again to giggle at the boy’s comical glare. The boy took some steps towards Marco, which made him start climbing up the tree.

“Don’t...don’t come any closer!” Marco shouted down as he reached his favorite branch. Marco froze when the boy’s head tilted up to look at him.

The boy’s amber eyes widened, but softened quick after, glancing up at him curiously. The boy asked, “Are you a hobo?”

“What’s...what’s a hobo?” Marco questioned cautiously.

“You know, like a homeless person. You aren’t wearing any shoes and your clothes look all grody,” the boy wrinkled his nose at that word, tilting his head slightly to the side.

Marco huffed angrily, his eyebrows scrunching down as he squeaked, “I am not homeless!”

“Then why are you all dirty?”

“I--” Marco began to huff, getting worked up quite easily, but he lost his balance and slipped from the branch. He faintly heard the boy gasp and his steps draw closer.

However, Marco was faster, used to being this clumsy, and instinctively a branch moved down to catch him. The branch placed him gently on the ground and swiftly made its way back to the way it was. Marco brushed the leafs off himself and glanced up to the boy who stood across from him gaping. Marco let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck as he tried to explain, “Uh, well, um--”

“You’re the one who made those flowers grow, weren’t you?!” the boy exclaimed. “I didn’t know hobos could do that!”

“I’m not a hobo!” Marco shouted, his anger making him shake.

“But you didn’t say you didn’t do the flower thing! I knew I saw it! Do it again!”

“No!”

The boy frowned, crossing his arms. His amber eyes scrutinized Marco as he stepped closer to him. Marco shakily stepped back, but was stopped by the tree behind him. The boy was suddenly right in front of him and he was hyper aware of the fact that it was the closest he had ever gotten with a human. Finally the boy said, “Why not?”

“I don’t,” Marco paused, taking a deep breath to compose himself, “I don’t do stuff for strangers!”

_Well that was a horrible lie._

“But you did that flower thing just a few days ago!”

“That’s...That’s just what I do!” Marco huffed, glancing away from the boy’s amber eyes. “I wasn’t doing that for anyone in particular!”

_That was also a terrible, terrible lie._

“Fine then…I’m Jean,” the boy replied calmly, putting out his hand. Marco stared down at it, shifting his head over to the side in confusion.

“What do ya want me to do with that?” Marco questioned, pointing at Jean’s hand.

“You know...shake it. It’s what my dad does when he meets new people. He says it’s proper.”

“Okay,” Marco replied hesitantly, grabbing one of Jean’s fingers and shaking his hand around. He stopped abruptly when Jean burst out into a fit of laughter, making Marco’s dark eyes widen in fascination. The boy’s laugh was so nice to hear. Jean started shaking his head, still snickering ever so slightly. He then proceeded to grab Marco’s wrist, pulling his hand to Jean’s. Jean gripped his hand and moved it up and down and the feeling of his hand in Jean’s was oddly satisfying.

“This is how you shake hands. Have you never seen your parents shake hands with other people before?” Jean questioned, pulling his hand away from Marco’s.

“No...um, I haven’t.”

Jean rose a brow in question, but didn’t say anything for a few moments. Then the boy smirked, amber eyes brightening with a mischievous glint, “Now you know who I am, so what’s your name?”

“My name is...Marco.”

“Can I call you Freckles?”

Marco instinctively reached a hand to his face, brushing his hands against his cheeks where he knew some freckles resided on his face. He felt his face heat up for some odd reason as he stuttered out, “N-No--”

“Awe why not? Friends give each other nicknames!”

“Friends?” Marco could feel his belly tingling as he whispered the word, hand still self-consciously moving over his cheeks. “We’re...friends?”

“Yeah, we’re not strangers anymore, we’re friends! So now could you show me the flower thing again?”

Marco frowned, crossing his arms across his chest before shaking his head. He muttered, “I can’t believe I almost fell for that. I should’ve never--”

“Please?” the boy asked politely, clasping his hands together in a begging gesture. He then proceeded to flop down onto his knees and stuck out his bottom lip dramatically. Marco couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips, soft giggles slipping out.  

Marco had been gazing at the boy so fondly that he hadn’t even realized the sun flowers make their appearance around them. Jean’s head turned look around, smiling over at the flowers that bloomed right in front of his eyes. Jean hopped to his feet, gasping out, “If you do this in front of my dad, he’ll be sure to believe me!”

Marco’s smile dropped immediately, “No! You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Because...I shouldn’t even be showing you this,” Marco mumbled, scratching the back of his neck with his eyes toward the ground. He bucked up a little courage as he kept his ground, glancing back up to catch Jean’s eyes and said firmly, “If you want me to do it more, you can’t tell anybody about it. If you tell anyone...I’ll...um...I’ll leave and never come back!”

He watched as Jean clenched his hands in fists near his sides as he slowly replied, “Do I...have to?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, alright fine!”

Their conversation was broken by a call out in the distance, the boy’s name echoing between the trees. “Jean! Dinner’s almost ready!”

Jean shuffled his feet for a moment, glancing between Marco and the direction the voiced called from. Jean put out his hand again, grinning a small smile as he said, “I’ll come back tomorrow alright? Deal?”

“Uh, yeah, deal!” Marco exclaimed, excitedly clasping onto Jean’s hand correctly this time and enthusiastically moving it up and down the way Jean had done not too long ago. Jean laughed again, running off to the direction of his home.

Jean’s laughter echoed throughout his thoughts and he softly said to himself, “I...made a friend...with a human.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> You tis can find me on tumblr at theswootasticalstargirl and theamazingwritingshtuff. Feel free to check meh out if ya want.


End file.
